Painting the Town: Two Indianapolis Latina Artists Make Their Mark on the City’s Art Scene

With unique styles and authenticity, Indianapolis Latina artists Joy Hernandez and Elisa Barety create original, imaginative pieces. Their artwork pulls people in, resonating with meaning and captivating technique.

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From Canvas to Cosmos

Joy Hernandez is a lifelong artist – a skill she inherited from her father’s side of the family.

“The gene runs strong,” she says. “We’re all artists or musicians, and some of us are both.”

Hernandez tried several different mediums over the years to find her fit. She has been a videographer and video editor for 21 years in Indianapolis and gradually started painting again to combat burnout.

She became a gallery manager for the Art Bank Gallery in Indianapolis. In 2016, she founded Full Circle Nine Gallery with several colleagues. She still serves as the president of that group. She also became involved with an organization called The Walldogs, painting murals in Indianapolis and smaller towns across Indiana.

“If I have to have a second job, I may as well have a job I love doing,” Hernandez says. “I love creating art. I can’t not do it. And on both careers, I can honestly say I love for people to see in real life the ideas in my head or the sights I can see.”

Hernandez’s art is often inspired by space exploration. Her go-to mediums are acrylic and aerosol paint on canvas, and she enjoys bold colors. Most of her work revolves around a central character, such as Snoopy or one of her own creations, including an astronaut named Bean.

“Bean is named after Alan Bean, the only artist to have walked on the moon via Apollo 12,” she says. “He lives in that vicarious imaginary world and does activities like skateboarding that I can’t really do or do well.”

When asked about her favorite piece, Hernandez said it’s like trying to pick your favorite kid, but ultimately, it’s the ones that create amazing stories.

“My favorites are the ones that end up surrounded by epic tales,” Hernandez says. “You never know what’s going to happen and how people will react to your art.”

Learn more about Joy Hernandez and her artwork at joyhernandez.com or on Facebook, facebook.com/joyhernandezart, and Instagram @JoyTheStampede.

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Art With Character

Just like Hernandez, Elisa Barety’s art journey started at a young age and was character-driven.

“I started drawing as a kid,” she says. “At the time, I also read a lot of comics, so I was drawing my favorite characters and trying to imitate the styles of my favorite artists.”

She tried classical art in college, including oil painting and figure drawing, but was ultimately drawn back to pop art and characters.

“What really draws me to this type of art is the strong female characters and stories of magic or exploration,” Barety says. “A lot of these stories are about justice, acceptance, equality and overcoming insurmountable obstacles. That’s always spoken to me. It’s probably one reason I also studied social work.”

Barety uses traditional and digital tools in her art, including alcohol markers, acrylic paints, watercolors, ink and her iPad for digital creations. She mostly draws popular media characters, but also enjoys creating her own characters inspired by fantasy, sci-fi and folklore.

“Anytime I create something that resonates with someone, it makes me love that piece even more,” Barety says. “One of my favorite pieces is a large painting I did of Wonder Woman. It was such a challenge doing a large piece in acrylics, which I hadn’t used at that scale. Plus, I felt like it had that ‘women are strong’ vibe, and that’s a theme in a lot of my work.”

Barety is also a member of the Full Circle Nine Gallery and sells her work there, as well as other platforms, including Etsy, Redbubble and TeePublic. Both Barety and Hernandez have displayed their art at local shows, and Barety held an artist table at Comic-Con.

“My first Con was in 2018,” she says. “I learned a lot since that first experience and enjoyed meeting different artists and fans. I’ve continued doing conventions, and it allows me to connect with creators and fans, but I also become inspired by other people’s work.”

Barety and Hernandez are part of the Indy Latina Artists group, showcasing art from Latina artists several times throughout the year. The pair both have upcoming shows and exhibits in Indianapolis for their own creations.

Explore art from Elisa Barety at elisamakesart.com and @Elisamakesart on most social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.

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